The Drinks

Pineapple Martini

1 oz. Pineapple Juice
1.5 oz. Vodka
.5 oz. Chambord

Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a martini glass.  Garnish with a wedge of pineapple or a pineapple leaf.

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Nothing beats an ice cold beer on a hot day.  Steer away from the heavy (yet tasty) brews, and get something lighter – and you can’t get much lighter than a Corona.  Pack in a bucket or cooler filled with ice, drag it to a shady spot, and you’ve got yourself the easiest party drink ever.  Just don’t forget the limes. 

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Apple Soju Cocktail

1 small crisp apple, like Gala or Granny Smith
1 1/2 cups soju
2 to 3 cups chilled tonic water
Ice
Lime wedge or apple wedge (optional)

Julienne or thinly slice apple into matchstick size pieces. Put in a pitcher and stir in soju. Cover and refrigerate; allow the apple to macerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.

Fill a wine or cocktail glass with ice. Strain 1/4 cup soju in each cup and top with tonic water. (Or put in equal parts soju and tonic, if you like your drinks strong.) Add a few apple matchsticks, and garnish with an apple or lime wedge. Serve immediately.

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White Sangria

1 lemon, 1 lime, 1 orange and 4 strawberries
1 tbl. triple sec
1 bottle of white wine
8 oz. 7-up, diet or regular

Cut the ends off the lemon, lime and orange. Squeeze the juice from the ends into a pitcher. Slice the fruit thinly. Add to pitcher with triple sec. Pour in wine. Just before serving add the 7-up.

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Spiked Pink Lemonade

1 bottle (750 ml) of vodka or gin
5 cups lemonade
2 cups cranberry juice
3 cups ginger ale

Stir and serve.

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Mojitos by the pitcher

10 limes, fresh pulp and juice
30 leaves fresh mint
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup white rum
Club soda, chilled

Place lime juice/pulp, mint and sugar into a pitcher.  Using a muddle stick mash to release mint oils, and dissolve sugar into juice.  Add rum and lots of ice topped with club soda, adding more club soda to glasses if a lighter drink is desired.  Garnish with fresh mint and lime slices.

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Beer Margaritas

1 (12 fluid ounce) can frozen limeade concentrate
12 fluid ounces tequila
12 fluid ounces water
12 fluid ounces beer
Ice
1 lime, cut into wedges

Pour limeade, tequila, water, and beer into a large pitcher. Stir until well-blended, and limeade has melted. Add plenty of ice, and garnish with lime wedges. Adjust with additional water, if needed.

The Goods

Get inspired with a great book of delicious drinks (and light fare) for your next party.  Slurp: Drinks and Light Fare, All Day, All Night is chock full of recipes, tips, and creative ideas to make it fabulous.  You’ll drool over the stunning photography and styling, too.

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The sound of ice crushing in a blender is like music to my ears.  It’s like the promise of a new day.  So if your get-together involves blended drinks, make sure yours is in good working order.  Because while nothing gets a party going like the sound of a blender whirring, nothing will bring it to a screeching halt like it dying on you mid-event.

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If you want to use glass (instead of plastic) for your party, choose something festive but hard-working and go with Pier 1’s cobalt rim glassware.  It’s thick, rugged, and durable, perfect for lots of handling by buzzed revelers.

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Serious outdoor functions call for plastic glassware: you won’t have to worry if something breaks and cleaning up every last speck of glass so that barefoot guests won’t cut themselves.  Crate & Barrel has a great selection of acrylic glassware that will do the trick.

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If you’re making any type of adventurous mixed drink, a cocktail shaker is a must.  And you’ll look and feel like a real pro as you’re standing there shaking it to perfection.  Grab the oversized version from Pottery Barn to make multiple drinks quicker and easier to mix.

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Mixed drinks with ice means you need drink stirrers.  And everyone loves drink stirrers – the funnier, the better.  Like these “High Five Low Five” ones from Perpetual Kid.

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Lazy?  Busy?  Having people over at the last minute?  Stock up on a bunch of cocktail mixers by Stirrings, and just grab the alcohol.  Most liquor stores carry Stirrings, too, so you can buy everything all in one place.

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